The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-12-08
PENCIL MARGIN A-.TOR Sun
DAY READING.

special Cor. STATE CHRONICLE. !

Especial lCf. = + 1if.OA
That numerous class of North Carolina
>lmpletons though, by 10 means confined
70 North Carolina who think that moth
ing of first class merit can come from
home, viii lind their depreclatory opinion
most happily Iefuted, III ONE instance, by
the following. from the pen Of Henry
Blount IN the Wilson Mirror OF ict. 3eth,
1887. referring to the much regretted
death of an old citizen: ''Munford Frank
lin the old lamp lighter, who has been
50 iong ana 50 faithfully going from lamp
pot u lamp post. and keeping the dark
eyed streets Of Wilson threaded With the
-ilvery strands Of cheering light when
they were robed in darkness, has ended
his duties on earth and gone We trust 10
that i.and Of Light where never falls the
gloom of night About ten days ago it
Was noticed that another person wts going
old man Franklin's accustomed rounds,
and then 1t was whispered that his own
lamp OF lire was growing dim that the
wick Of vigOr had burned very short, that
the oil OF vitality was very low, that the
fame was beginning TO flicker. and was
liable 10 go OUT 1T any moment And so,
when last week was drawing To its close,
Times Saturday Night came 70 end his
week Of earthly tot! in the blessed calm Of
deaths repose. and when he aWakes, may
he feel the golden sunshine Of Endless
Day in glory And now since he has lit
his last lamp on earth may the bright
lamps OF heaven shine softly down on the
grave 0f one so true" All, far more
prized by me than all the ecI eeous drapery
of panegyric with which adulation decks
the storled urnS and animated busts of the
great of earth, are the short and simple
annals Of the poor related in such words
OF genuine pathoS as embalm the memory
Of our honest old Iamp-Lghter They
deserve Il place with the tear moving,
'.Barkis is Will:n' and Coin out with
the tide" Of that memorable death bed
scene in DAVID CoPPERFlELD.
Several friends of mine, over estimating
nv capacity, have requested that should
essay the task Of directing the studies of
'.the ingenious youth Of our State to the
contemplation Of such models as would
improve the taste, and elevate the facui-
ties Of the heart and the understanding.
He LABOR. HoC OPUs, and means a load
for Atlantean shoulders. but on a topic
like this | feel consoled and encouraged
bl the thought Of Richter: $ Where frag-
ments only are possible, all that are pos
sibe complete the whole In this spirit
shall endeavor to adopt the suggestions
of my friends and endeayor to point out,
from time to time, in the PENCIL MARGIN
ALA such works as have proven to me OF
essential service in my humble studies.
And in the first place, | would recal
attention to the works of the great OH
writers and speakers, whose powers of cN
preston, at once accurate, classical, fOrci
bic and picturesque, have never yet beer
surpassed. To illustrate Ill the earlieS,
instances would be supertiuous. The
works Of Shakespeare, spencer and Milton
stand on the mountain heights of knowl
edge as cities on hill-tops. But the Raj
1 eighs, Sidneys, Digbys, Strafords, Pyms
| BrOnne's, Clarendons and their like o
! about the same era should be better known
If in calling attention to them and their NOs
MODEM successors (as hope to do) in future
/ issues of the CHRONICLE, | trust that
shall in some degree contribute to restore
that ''Engish undefiled' which, can bu
believe that our people, despite poetaster
and newspaper pedagogues, still love t.
read